The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-06
TRADES OF THE TIMES.
The House. Declines to Treat Them as
Breaches of Privilege.


Breaches of Privilege.
LONDON, May Sin the House of Com
nous to-day, consideration of the question
of breach of privilege in the TineS-Dillon
case, was resumed. No member rising to
speak on motion of Mr. Lewis that the con-
duct of the Times was q breach, and that
the House take notice of it, the Speaker
put before the House the amendment of Sir
Edward Clarke, Solicitor General, that the
House decline to treat the Times publica-
ton as a breach of privilege. The
Parnellites at once challenged
division This resulted in vote of 297 in
favor of the amendment to 2l9 against it.
The amendment thus became u substantial
motion, and Mr.. Bradlaugh resumed the de-
bate. Mr.. Gladstone on rising was cheered.
He moved an amendment that committee
be appointed to inquire into the charge of
willful falsehood made against Mr.. Dillon.
CHURCHILL SCORED.
He objected to Lord Randolph Churchills
calling him the leader of the party of sepa-
ration. He perfectly understood why
Lord Randolph did not call it the party of
home rule There was a future before
Lord Randolph in which home rule plans
might figure as convenient to his purpose
[Cheers. Turning to the question of privi-
lege, he said it was unfortunate that the
government proposed the present step
against an Irish member while inflicting
upon the Irish people, by means of a per-
manent coercion bill brand of perpetual
dishonor. Why take the case into a court of
lawg Was it certain that Mr.. Dillon would
get verdict, whatever might be the proof,
in the case where Parliament declared the
charges against member no breach of
privilege!
GLADSTONE CORNERS THE GOVERNMENT.
Mr.. Gladstone said the House was per-
fectly competent tribunal, indeed the only
competent one The precedentS were all on
the side of the appointment of committee
There was the case of Mr.. Butt, in 1854,
when it was held that an accusation that
members were hungry for places to which
were attached salaries and pensions deserved
an inquiry. After citing a number of other
precedents, in all of which the charges were
less grave than those brought against Mr.
Dillon, he challenges the government
to establish a single precedent where
the prosecution had been ordered without
the House having previously condemned the
act on which the prosecution was based
He appealed TO the government TO alter their
determination, which otherwise might lead
to n crisis of most serious and momentous
importance. The Irish members who had
been maligned TO an enormous extent asked
for a particular course, which the majority
refused, forgetting that they weH ing
against a minority representing bn.
[Parnelito cheersl Tho govorfa1ol - Build
yet, on ground of reason, prudence and pre-
cedent, accept his amendment showing the
country that they had determined at last
TO give the Irish members full iustice--even
indulgent juctice-seeing that their honor
and character were at stake [Cheers1
ANOTHER VIEW or THE PREcEDENTs.
Sir Richard Webster, Attorney General,
admitted that Mr.. Gladstone had put the
issue in the clearest possible way, but the
opinion Of the law officers of the crown was
unshaken. An examination for precedents
showed that there never was " case parallel
to the present, that there never was case
where the government directed al inquiry
into o charge where the authorship was adj
mitted and the party aceusedof libel ex-
pressed willingness TO justify. [Cheecrsl
The House had never dealt with
a charge of falsehood as q matter of fact in
which il should interfere. Not single
case existed in modern times In which
similar libel upon a piomber of the House
had been treated as breach of privilege.
Ii such n precedent should once be estab-
lished there would probably bo a breach Of
privilege every week.
coLLUsIoE DENIED.
He repudiated tho insinnation that the
proposal of the government was collusion OF
the grossest character. Although his name
had been formally associated with the pro-